He's making her slap her thigh.

Amy in AZ. · Jul 26, 2014

Generally, when someone has a pitching coach and you are "just a dad" you should leave the child alone. Instead, this person is requiring something that I am not teaching. I guess she can go to him for pitching lessons. That is what I am going to have to tell her.

FiveFrameSwing · Jul 26, 2014

Amy in AZ. said:
Ugg. I have a talented young lady that has taken pitching lessons from me, for a year. She recently has started slapping her thigh, because the coach is making all of his pitchers do. I was quite surprised to see her doing that. I asked her to stop and to pitch the way she has been taught. She stopped for about 2 pitches.

Her mom wants the girl to speak up to the coach.

The coach has no expertise in pitching. So, I may lose a student, because I can't instruct her, when someone else is overriding my decisions. It is just to difficult for the little girl to be in the middle.

Sorry you feel this way.

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with the glove slap and wouldn't toss a student for that reason. If it cripples what you teach then it makes sense to stop assisting this student ...... just not seeing how that would be the case .... please explain.

FiveFrameSwing · Jul 26, 2014

Take note of BM's description of adduction. Not all that uncommon for a glove slap type action to take place as a result of such mechanics.

FiveFrameSwing · Jul 26, 2014

Amy in AZ. said:
Generally, when someone has a pitching coach and you are "just a dad" you should leave the child alone. Instead, this person is requiring something that I am not teaching. I guess she can go to him for pitching lessons. That is what I am going to have to tell her.

Amy, you do not "have" to tell her this.

It is not an absolute in pitching that a glove slap not exist

Would you toss someone like Cat as one of your pitching students? I wouldn't.

Seems that Cat Osterman is having a pretty successful career.

FiveFrameSwing · Jul 26, 2014

Like Cat above, this kid went pro as well .......

FiveFrameSwing · Jul 26, 2014

BM demonstrating Adduction ......

SoAZDad · Jul 26, 2014

FiveFrameSwing said:
Like Cat above, this kid went pro as well .......

If she brushed on the way back, maybe she coulda been even better. How awesome is that?

JJsqueeze · Jul 26, 2014

Amy in AZ. said:
Ugg. I have a talented young lady that has taken pitching lessons from me, for a year. She recently has started slapping her thigh, because the coach is making all of his pitchers do. I was quite surprised to see her doing that. I asked her to stop and to pitch the way she has been taught. She stopped for about 2 pitches.

Her mom wants the girl to speak up to the coach.

The coach has no expertise in pitching. So, I may lose a student, because I can't instruct her, when someone else is overriding my decisions. It is just to difficult for the little girl to be in the middle.

This seems to be more about HC v PC than thigh slapping. I am with you Amy. Private instructors that are skill specific should have instructional priority over "general contractor" head coaches. The HC is there to manage a team, use the assets they have as best they can and to deal with teaching game strategy, fielding etc. They should not delve into mechanics without treading very lightly and talking to the kid, parent and or private instructor. That is the only way for them to be able to give instruction to kids that may suffer from lack of instruction, while making sure they are not confusing the kid that has been highly trained for years.

JJsqueeze · Jul 26, 2014

Out in Left Field said:
I am with you Amy. I don't allow pitchers to slap, and if they come to JV with that issue, we change them. Just curl the arm in. The glove does not have to pass the body or go that low. There is no need to smack yourself and try and get it "just right" without hurting yourself. We have other things to worry about, never mind the AD/paperwork becomes involved if kids report even bruises or scrapes to the trainer. The other side are kids who hide aches and pains, especially pitchers, and they wrap themselves up to hide things and they get chronic. Although not related to slapping, I have had to ask them to unwrap the crap, and oila, I then hear of an injury.

Fortunately my Varsity pitchers have never shown this habit of slapping.

PS. I do have a glove arm injury in one of my back up pitchers, albeit not for slapping, but for the back swing. Who thought it? But it can happen.

This whole "we change them" attitude is exactly what I am talking about. So you get a 14-15 year old pitcher, she tries out for your team and because she slaps her thigh you automatically "change her"? What if she is dominating? Do you still change her? This attitude of preset notions about what is good and what is bad causes 90% of the problems between coaches/parents/pcs/hitting coaches. Why not talk to the girl about why she does something and find out why, or find out if she has a pc and collaborate a little? Why the arrogant " I change her"?

FiveFrameSwing · Jul 26, 2014

SoAZDad said:
If she brushed on the way back, maybe she coulda been even better. How awesome is that?

Or she could have been worse ..... since it may have meant a premature abortion of the adductive forces.

The lack of a glove slap is simply not an absolute.

If the issue is that of the pitching instructor's ego, then that is another matter. The reality is that team coaches will interact to instruct pitching, hitting, fielding, throwing, etc. ... and if a private coach can't deal with that then that is an issue.

At the start of the HS season I have kids that come in for sessions on how to deal with the new instruction they are receiving. Happens again at the start of the ASA season. Simply common ..... and nothing to get worked up over IMO.

If you are a decent pitching instructor, then it's possible to continue to advance a kid that is being persuaded to have their glove slap their thigh. Simply not a good excuse IMO to toss a kid.

He's making her slap her thigh.

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